Ford – Page 6
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Article
US plants – stick or twist?
Several carmakers have recently outlined plans to alter their production activities in the US. Some announcements have been positive, with large investments being made to build new facilities as well as upgrade existing ones. Others have detailed plant closures. Here we provide an overview of the latest news regarding those ...
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Podcast
AMS Podcast Episode 03 – Look to the future, it’s only just begun
With absolutely no apologies for quoting Slade, AMS Editor Nick Holt and AMS Deputy Editor Gareth Price see this Christmas as the ideal time to look back at a selection of topics featured in AMS magazine during 2018.
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Podcast
AMS Podcast Episode 01 – Start of production
The very first AMS podcast rolls off the assembly line and the team discuss two giants of automotive manufacturing, Toyota and Ford.
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Article
Ford invests in EV and AV production
US - Ford has said it will spend US$900m on its facilities in Michigan in order to ready for the production of both electric and autonomous vehicles. This is the latest in a string of investments that the OEM has recently announced it will make in US plants. “We’ve taken ...
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Article
Tariffs: controversy reigns with Trump and Brexit adding to confusion
In President Trump somewhat simplistic analysis, trade wars fought through the medium of tariffs are easy to win. Angered, apparently, by seeing too many Mercedes and BMWs on Fifth Avenue, Trump has threatened to invoke section 232 of the 1962 US Trade Expansion Act, raising tariffs from ...
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Article
Augmented assistance
Visit any car manufacturing plant in the world and the majority of production equipment will be similar. The real differences between factories are the human workers and the way in which technology is used to optimise their environment
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Article
Honda closure deals blow to UK
Honda has announced plans to close its Swindon plant at the end of the current model’s production lifecycle in 2021. The statement, which was published on the company’s website, refers to the changing nature of the global auto industry and Honda’s “commitment to electrified cars” as the main reasons behind ...
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Article
Low heat input welding
The Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) welding process reduces the heat input in comparison to other MIG/MAG processes, claims Fronius. This uses a digital process control, which automatically detects short circuits and then helps to detach the droplet by retracting the wire; during welding, the wire moves forward and is pulled ...
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Article
New foam for instrument panels
A new series of systems in its Elastoflex E product group now allows weight reductions and foam densities of around 120g/L without sacrificing any of the material characteristics, claims BASF. Up to 30% of the foam weight is saved, says the company, depending on the component geometry. This Thin-Light system ...
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Article
Production resource for e-drive modules
Henkel’s says it offers a range of solutions for the manufacturing of e-drives including Loctite AA 5820, which the company says is suitable to provide a reliable seal of multi-substrates or any flange design of e-drive housings. For stator coil potting applications, it offers a two-component epoxy, Loctite PE 8082, ...
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Article
Ford and VW confirm their alliance; and raise questions …
Ford CEO Jim Hackett, VW COE Herbert Diess After months of rumours and speculation, Ford and Volkswagen have announced an alliance which would begin with the co-development and production of vans and pick-ups; it offers the prospect of wider forms of co-operation, in other segments, electric technology ...
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Article
More on Audi
A high-performance build The Audi R8 series of sports cars is described as being closer to motor racing than any other on-the-road vehicles. Mike Farish takes a closer look at the manufacturing operationThree Audi models enter production Algeria – Assembly of the Audi A3 Sportback, A3 Sedan and Q2 has ...
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Article
Casting a duo
Two innovative metal forming techniques could have a significant impact on the press shop of the future
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Article
Asia’s other powerhouse
Already a dynamic and rapidly growing manufacturing hub, South-East Asia’s automotive industry is finding further opportunity in the growth of battery and hybrid vehicle production Two nations dominate South-East Asia vehicle production, namely Thailand (approximately 2m units per annum (upa)) and Indonesia (c1.1m upa). There is one mid-sized producer ...
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Article
Smartly pressed
OEMs and suppliers are teaming up to design and construct a state-of-art press shops, duly networked for an industry 4.0 approach More on Stamping Ford Saarlouis Gestamp Constellium, Georgia Skoda Mlade BoleslavArguably the main technological factor most commonly associated with metal pressing and forming equipment is ...
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Article
New chapter, different story?
International expansion continues but, as Ian Henry reports, Audi’s long-term role within the VW Group is now under scrutiny Audi is expanding globally, notably in China, as it seeks to escape from its recent controversial past. Having been complicit in the diesel scandal affecting Volkswagen Group, it has been hit ...
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Article
Eisenmann to extend truck paint shop
Mazda Thailand US - The German factory engineering specialist Eisenmann has won a contract to extend the paint shop at a major truck manufacturing facility in the east of the US. Construction starts at the end of 2018 and is due to finish in the summer of ...
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Article
New year, new arrangements
As 2018 draws to a close, the pace of change in vehicle manufacturing is accelerating. The move to EVs is gaining speed while the companies themselves continue to realign and optimise their manufacturing footprints. The future of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance has been thrown into doubt with the arrest of Carlos ...
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Article
Unease in the East
Falling sales, electrification and mega mergers: Nick Gibbs provides an overview of the current automotive industry trends in China A fascinating year for China’s automotive industry has seen the world’s largest car market undergo a series of seismic shifts as it moves to a new level of maturity, bringing both ...